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Canada’s manufacturing sector heads into 2026 with cautious optimism as forecasts highlight steady demand alongside persistent cost pressures. While key industries expect moderate growth, challenges tied to labour shortages, input prices, and global market volatility continue to shape the path forward for producers across the country.

 A new industry report shows that while small and mid-sized manufacturers continue to pursue digital modernization, the pace of adoption has noticeably cooled. Budget pressures, talent gaps, and integration challenges are causing many SMEs to move more cautiously.

New data shows a 3.3% surge in manufacturing sales for September, marking the strongest monthly performance since early spring. The increase reflects stronger output across key sectors and signals renewed momentum for an industry that has weathered months of volatility.

To stay competitive, manufacturing companies need to be ahead of the trends currently shaping the industry. In this guide to 2025 manufacturing trends, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) highlights the top eight trends for this year, along with actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

The Canadian tech industry has experienced a series of starts and stops over recent years. However, 2025 is poised to be different, and the pace of change is about to accelerate.

 In 2024, US manufacturing experienced continued investment even as higher interest rates and a challenging business environment have created obstacles to near-term industry growth.  

New data shows Canadian manufacturing sales fell 2.1% in March, driven largely by declines in petroleum, coal products, and motor vehicles. Although the drop was slightly smaller than early estimates suggested, it still marks a soft first quarter for the sector as demand and production remain uneven across major industries.

Rising geopolitical tensions, climate change and global commerce disruptions are making the jobs of chief procurement officers harder than ever. According to Deloitte’s 2023 Global CPO Survey, more than 70% of CPOs reported an increase in procurement-related risks and supply chain disruptions over the past year. 

Supply chain attacks are a serious and growing threat to businesses across all industries. However, these attacks pose an even greater risk for manufacturers in critical infrastructure sectors. One pernicious form of supply chain attack is spoofing, where attackers impersonate legitimate suppliers to sneak malicious code or components into products. 

It's no surprise that Canadians are looking for tech exposure. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on "work from home" solutions to keep people safe. And although life has somewhat returned to normal in a post pandemic environment and tech stocks have taken a hit as of late, the tech sector is still on pace to achieve rapid growth over the next 5-10 years. 

Increased reliance on outsourced manufacturing is an ongoing trend supported by data from the 2022 State of Manufacturing Report, which shows 48% of companies reported an increase in outsourced manufacturing this year. Additionally, nearly three-quarters of survey respondents view outsourcing positively while specifying that quality, efficiency, speed, and pricing were the primary benefits.

3D printing is one of the most demanding technologies in today’s world which allows manufacturers to print much more complex designs with the least tools. It reduces the burden on factories and makes production easier and faster in comparison to the traditional ways.

“Manufacturing companies are looking for ways to manage and optimise their operations and supply chains to become more resilient, efficient, sustainable and profitable,” says Indranil Sircar, chief technology officer of manufacturing and supply chain at Microsoft. 

For companies today, the issue isn’t whether they’re generating enough data, it’s whether they’re getting value from that data. With continuous supply chain disruptions, manufacturers and distributors are turning to Business Intelligence tools to gain the ability to look deeper into production, performance, and efficiency.

The pace of innovation has skyrocketed as businesses have worked hard to keep the doors open in the face of the many challenges this time period has wrought. The manufacturing sector is no exception to this trend. New technologies are reshaping businesses on the factory floor and within the c-suite.

Are your customers raving about you on social media? Share their great stories to help turn potential customers into loyal ones. IBM is the latest vendor to provide a blockchain platform for coffee bean growers looking to track their product on its journey to market – and let consumers trace their java back to the farm to discover where and how it was grown.

One of the major challenges for logistics providers, explains Ben Humphries, head of global pre-sales at Montreal-based AI solution developer Element AI, is that the technology they depend on is based on earlier high-volume paradigms. 

Aim of this analysis is to reveal an AI scenario with dynamics of the consumer industry. The report evaluates the AI impact on the semiconductor industry and proposes an in-depth understanding of the AI ecosystem and related players.

Despite all this coverage, and 5G's power to reshape the world around us and how we communicate, public literacy about 5G and why it matters remains remarkably low.

There are many contributors to Intel’s long-running chip production problems. For starters, demand for Intel computer chips has been higher than expected as more businesses depend on resource-intensive applications, cloud computing, and state-of-the-art machines to gain a competitive edge.

Canadian stocks once again underperformed compared to their American peers in 2019, with the S&P 500 returning 31.5 per cent versus the S&P/TSX at 29.0 per cent.